I admit it! I’m a sucker for pretty paper! The paper I used for this Halloween gem for Retro Cafe Art Gallery I have been holding on to for years. You see, I started out as a scrapbooker so I had built up this massive stash of paper. Fast forward a number of years and I realized that I am probably done with the scrapbooking arena and have my feet firmly planted in the realm of mixed media.

However, the urge to play with paper comes along every now and then and I have to dig through the very little paper I kept and put it to good use. This piece uses K & Company’s “Que Sera Sera” paper pad.

One of my favorite things to do is to make the simple look complex and complicated. Jackolynn was constructed using the simplest of techniques. You’ll be amazed.

Step 1: Grab that paper you’ve been hoarding and get ready to hack into it. Trace each piece and cut them out. Glue each cut piece to its substrate. See that file in the photo below? It is THE key to get nice, flush, and fresh edges.

Step 2: Use an ink pad to ink your edges. Ready for the mind blower? Embossing powder! Get your embossing pad and powders and go to town on those edges!

Hi everyone! I’m back today to share with you a project that was intended to go one direction, but in the end, took on a completely different idea as one idea failed and another proved to be fantastic! I wish I had taken photos of the mishaps that forged the road ahead for Gabriella, but alas. I did not. In all honesty, I think I was too frustrated to even think about grabbing my camera.

You see, at first, she was going to have the face of Frida, but since that idea fell apart, more like broke upon my floor (literally), I decided to go in a different direction instead.

I have had this beaded beauty in my cabinet for some time now, just waiting for the perfect piece to put it one. And talk about serendipity! If you have followed me for a while, these pieces are hand beaded one by one using a needle, glue, seed beads, and micro beads. Her “halo” is a piece of magic in itself.

I also wanted to try my hand at painting. Not just regular shading, full color type painting. Actual images in the vein of tole art painting. I knew Gabriella was going to have a mix of cultural infusions and I wanted the shrine to be of a Mexican folk art style.

The inside of the shrine is a very cool printable from Xquizart that simply enhanced the look I was going for.

Gabriella’s heart is always at a low and hot smolder. Passion for life, even in death is her mantra.

Would you like to know the secrets in assembling this piece?

Step 1: I always prep my pieces with gesso simply because I almost always end up painting them.

Step 2: I used Sandra Evertson’s “MUSE” stamps and stamped into Apoxie Sculpt. I cut the excess clay away and used them in other moulds. You notice the Frida face? Yeah, well, she broke when I dropped her, thus the change in direction. You can paint the pieces without the clay being dry. It’s perfect for us impatient types.

Step 3: Draw your design onto your pieces. I used a pencil and then painted it in with acrylic paint.

Step 4: Trace panels onto paper. Cut and glue them to each piece.

Step 5: Highlight the flowers with a white pen and ink edges.

Step 6: For Gabriella’s smoldering heart, paint a base coat of acrylic paint. Once it dries, apply a thick layer of Kroma Crackle that has been tinted with acrylic paint. Heat set it with a heat tool. This technique is one I learned from Michael DeMeng.

The Santos heart that serves as Gabriella’s bodice was done using a faux Kintsugi effect which I demonstrated on Facebook. You can find the full video here.